ross
the desert; but, as tradition said there was not a drop of water or a
blade of grass to be had between the two boundaries, and that the
desert was two days' journey across, they retreated to a spot where
grass and water could be collected in quantities sufficient to last
them the three days they would be in crossing the barren waste. Happily
they were well provided with horses, having still in their possession
those that had been appropriated to the use of Oudin and Mahnewe, as
well as the two pack horses. Gathering large quantities of grass by
cutting it up with their hunting knives, they bound it in compact
bundles; then taking some skins, they sewed them up, making them tight
and secure for water-bags. The morning of the third day found them
ready for their perilous adventure. Each one taking a water-bag, a
bundle of grass and provision on his own horse, sufficient to last them
through the first day, which, together with the four horses heavily
laden with provision, water and grass, they thought quite sufficient to
last them, double the time they intended being on the desert.

Hope again gilded the future to the wanderers as they surveyed with
satisfaction the result of their labors; and, when they turned their
horses towards the sandy plain before them, their hearts were elated,
and a feeling of security against its terrors made them even gay and
joyous. It is well the future is always hid from view; were it not, the
heart would faint and shrink from its trials when called to endure
them, and instead of bravely contending with them, it would be palsied
and weakened by fear.

Chapter Sixteenth.

They set out over the Desert. Encampment in the sand. An island in the
sand discovered. Singular appearance of rocks. Human skeletons found in
the sand. A mirage. Dreary prospects. Some of their horses give out.
They arrive at an oasis. Beautiful scenery. They come to a lake.
Singular geological features, They discover and explore a cavern in
which they come upon mysterious implements. Gold found in abundance.
The cavern supposed to have been an ancient mine. Its remarkable
features.

The sky was overcast with clouds as they entered the desert, which
broke and finally cleared away before the day was half spent. It had
been their intention to ride as fast as their horses could travel; but
they found that travelling in the sand, where, at every step the
horses' hoofs sank above the fetlock, was easier talked o